Showing posts with label Skin Care. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Skin Care. Show all posts

Saturday, 10 September 2011

Garnier Aqua Defense Moisturizer



     Im always in an air-conditioned room. All the classrooms in my Uni have air conds, and even my room. And since the bill's included in my monthly rent, i on my air cond 24hour per day as the weather in KL is killing me and the sun is raging.. I was looking at the mirror one day, and found that my face is very dry and feels tight, with some dead skin peeling off at the cheek area. o.O Noooo!!!

     Without hesitating, i search online and look for some remedy and found out that Garnier Aqua Defense is one of the most hydrating moisturizer available in drugstore and i went and get myself a jar of it. I used it as my double moisturizer, meaning that i apply it after my daily moisturizer. I even used it as a sleeping mask by applying a thicker layer on my skin, slowly massaging it in circular motion and let it stay overnight.

     Enriched with an-oxidants, Fruit Waters and Vitamin E, Garnier Aqua Defense builds an invisible barrier on your skin which instantly replenish moisture and repels external aggression and free radicals. Grape water contains sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium and zinc to help protect skin from damage caused by free radicals. Apple water is renowned for its anti-oxidant action and natural Vitamin E effectively smoothes the skin and protects the skins from cellular damage. Garnier Aqua Essence deeply penetrated to instantly replenish moisture, leaving skin hydrated, smooth and protected all day.

     This is a really great and hydrating treatment for dry skin especially for us that stay mostly in air-conditioned room. It smells like freshly cut cucumber my skin feel so refreshing when i apply it onto my skin. The texture is very light and non sticky. It's oil free and dries up rather quickly.

     It does moisturize my face, however it must be layered on top of a good moisturizer as itself alone is not good enough as a moisturizer. It just hydrates my skin but doesn't control the sebum and pores problem. Besides a thin layer of this product itself is not enough to supply adequate amount of moisture level for my skin. I need to apply it quite thick and massage it slowly into my skin. 

     Well, nothing much i can complaint for this product as it's just a drugstore products, and it's cheap. Will recommend you to use it as an additional hydrating moisturizer or as slepping mask, but only itself is not sufficient. =)



Pros:
-Nice and fresh cucumber scent
-Light and non oil texture
-Cheap
-easily available
-very hydrating

Cons:
-hard to use tub, not handy to open the cap
-not hygienic, need a spatula to scoop out the amount needed and it doesn't provide a spatula
-a thick layer is needed to really supply the moisture for my skin
-not sufficient as a moisturizer itself, need to layer with another good moisturizer

Overall Rating:
5/10

Wednesday, 13 July 2011

Vaseline aka Petroleum Jelly

Oh gosh, woke up early in the morning with a bad night sleep. Wonder why.. The happy things are, i'm going to get my hair dyed, after 8 months LOL and i love my baby smooth feet!! I have been applying Vaseline all over my feet and put on a pair of socks after that for 2 nights and the result is really good!! My super dry, calloused feet is not as smooth as a baby feet again! Just 2 nights!!





Basically, Vaseline @ Petroleum Jelly is a mixture of mineral oils, paraffin and micro-crystalline waxes that are blended together to form a smooth jelly that has melting point just above human's body temperature. It literally melts into skin, flowing into the spaces between cells and the gaps in our lipid barrier. It then resolidifies and lock them self in place.

It serves two function: Keep the outside world out i.e to protect skin from the effects of weather and exposure. Second it acts as a sealant to help keep the inside world in i.e it forms an occlusive barrier to the natural water loss of our skin. So skin is protected from drying elements, enabling skin-softening moisture to build up naturally from inside the skin itself. From here, please understand that Vaseline doesn't provide any moisture to our skin, but it helps locking the moisture in our skin from drying out.

Just a lil of the history, petroleum jelly in it's raw form was actually a bad things to U.S oil drillers in the late 1800's. It has a paraffin like texture that stuck to the shaft of ther rigs and caused them to seize up. However, they do apply it on their cuts and wounds as it has good healing properties. So after that, a person name Cheseborough opened his first factory in Brooklyn, NY under the brand name "Vaseline" as an ointment for skin injuries in 1870. So this is how they found Vaseline and below are just a few wonders of Vaseline:

For household use:

1. Apply thick layer of Vaseline on the inside of the Super Glue Cap threads after first use to keep it from gluing itself shut.

2. Apply a thin coating of jelly on shoes, boots and purses with a soft cloth to keep them shiny and looking great and repel water and road salt at the same time.

3. Quiet a Squeaky Door hinge with a coating of Vaseline on the hinge pin.

4. Keep Your Hand Clean by rubbin on Vaseline before you begin with the chores as it keep paint, stain, car grease and garden dirt from your skin. Just wipe it off with paper towel and wash away with soap.

5. Apply Vaseline along your hairline and ears before you begin to prevent Hair Colour from staining your skin.

6. Apply Vaseline on Cuts and Scrapes to protect it as it act as a barrier to keep out moisture and bacteria.

7. Use it as a Moisturizer all over body. It's suitable even for people with sensitive skin as it contains no fragrance of harmful chemical.

8. Prevent Car Battery Post corrosion by applying a layer of Vaseline on the terminals.

9. A thin coating of Vaseline on Ourdoor Lights bulb threads can prevent them from sticking when they need to be replaced.

10. Rub Vaseline on the skin around your nail before polishing so that the Nail Polish can be easily wiped off if you make a mistakes.

11. Apply Vaseline around the inside edge of cans to form an Air Tight seals.

12. Frozen Locks can be fixed or prevented by smearing Vaseline on the shaft of the key and insert into the lock and work the key nad lock for a few times to lubricate them.

13. Apply Vaseline along the runner on a Sticky Drawer to make it slide freely.

14. Apply Vaseline to your feet, right after bathing and put on a pair of socks for the whole night. It keeps the moisture on your skin from evaporating and makes your feet softer.

15. Apply to prevent Diaper Rash to replace expensive ointments and creams

16. Apply some Vaseline at the Tight Finger Ring and it will slide in or off easily.

17. Keep Nuts and Bolts from rusting by rubbing them with Vaseline before using.

18. Rub petroleum jelly on the damaged Water Rings on Wood Furniture and let it stand overnight, removes excess jelly and buff with a soft cloth.



For Beauty Use:

1. Put a thin coat on your eyelash and you will find your lashes grow longer and thicker after some time.

2. Apply some Vaseline at your eyebrow to tame it.

3. Use it as eyebrow colour. Mix some Vaseline with your desirable eyebrow colour using eyeshadow, apply them at your eyebrow with a thin lip brush or eye brow brush. This will make your brow looking beautiful and tame.

4. Apply Vaseline on your feet and elbows everyday-they will stay soft!!

5. Apply Vaseline on your cuticle a few times a day for a healthier and better looking cuticles.

6. Apply Vaseline on your lips to cure that chapped lips.

7. You can use Vaseline as lip gloss, it's safe.

8. Apply Vaseline at pulse point before applying your perfume, this makes the perfume scent stays longer.

9. A natural Moisturizer for people with sensitive skin.

10. Moisturizes dry skin.

11. Apply Vaseline to your teeth to prevents lipstick sticking to teeth. Beauty pageants and celebrities actually did that!!

12. Mix with sea salts and some essential oils to make body scrub.

13. Can use it to replace massage oil.

14. People with extremely dry skin or eczyma can use it for night cream.

15. Protects skin from harmful pollutants.

16. Can be used as makeup remover.

17. Applied a gentle amount on your cheek for a dewy look. Remember not to apply too much as you will end up looking oily.

18. Mix it with your blusher and apply it at your cheek to create that long lasting healthy glow on your face.

19. Apply a thin layer of Vaseline before applying your eye shadow to make it stay longer and make the colour more intense.

20. Apply some Vaseline at your ear lobe when you have difficulties with earring insertion.

21. Apply Vaseline on your scalp to condition your scalp, let it stay for 15 minutes and shampoo your hair.

22. Apply on scar(face or body) to prevent bacterial infection.

23. Apply a thin layer after you get a tattoo, it helps in healing and protecting the newly done tattoo.

24. Apply some Vaseline and rub it with your palm, scrunch through your hair for a messy and choppy look.

25. Apply a small amount on the ends of your hair to hide dry and split ends.

25. Mix Vaseline with powder eye shadow to create a more solid and intense eye shadow. It also prevent the powder eye shadow from getting all over your face.

26. Apply vaseline on your lips and cover your lips with a cling wrap for 5 minutes, then scrub your lisps with a toothbrush to exfoliate and they will be baby smooth.




Wow!! Look at all the amazing things you can do with Vaseline... Grab one and make it your best friend as it get quite handy when you run out of something such as your makeup remover, body lotion, moisturizer, scrub and etc.


There're alot of comments stating that Vaseline or petroleum is actually poisonous, clogged pores and etc the petroleum jelly in the market all proven safe for all its uses and i think those are just misconceptions. It has been in the market for so many years and if there were any true problems with it, we would already have seen them by know. It's okay if you disagree with me as these are solely my opinions and experiences. =)






Warning!!

-Do not use Vaseline on burns(including sunburns) as it will trap the heat on your skin and make the damage worse.
-Do not use Vaseline for nasal congestion or dryness because when inhaled, it might go into your lungs and cause lipoid pneumonia.
-Do not use Vaseline on any latex product such as condom as it can weaken and damage latex.

~~~Happy Trying~~~

Friday, 8 July 2011

Clinique 3-Step Skin Care System

Clinique is well known for their 3-Step Skin Care System which is dermatological tested, and suitable for all skin types. I've been using this whole set of Skin Care System for almost half a year. If you're wondering what skin type do i have, feel free to check it out under my profile at the sidebar. =)


So here are the reviews of the products in the whole set. 


Step 1 : Clinique Liquid Facial Soap Mild



Information taken from the Clinique:
Cleanse deeply but gently.
Dermatologists believe soap and water cleanses best. Non drying facial soap maintains protective lipids. Leaves skin fresh, comfortable. Preps for exfoliation.
Size:
200ml
Price from counter:
RM78.00

My thoughts:
It's a clear, gel-type cleanser but lathers up greatly into foam. This cleanser is scentless, which is great for sensitive skin. After using this cleanser, my skin feels very light and comfortable, and it does control my sebum secretion at the T-zone. 
Talking about the packaging, it comes with a pump dispenser and two pumps is all you need to clean your face. The only thing i dislike about it is i feel that it doesn't cleanse effectively if i apply make-up although i have remove my makeup with cleansing milk beforehand. 
The price is quite reasonable for something from a counter brand. RM87.00 for 200ml is not something too pricey and it actually last for almost half a year. 

This cleanser also comes in different formula i.e :
-Bar Soap
-Extra Mild
-Oily Skin

Overall Rating : 7/10



Step 2: Clinique Clarifying Lotion


Information from Clinique:
Step 2
Exfoliate to sweep aside dulling flakes, uncover skin's natural glow. Clarifying lotion is the instant difference maker. Whisks away skin's problems. Preps it to accept moisture better. If you're new to exfoliation, or skin feels dry and delicate, ask about Clarifying Moisture Lotion.

Size :
-200ml and 400ml

Price:
RM78.00 for 200ml
RM115 for 400ml

My thoughts:
Oh my gosh, the alcohol scent is so strong and it's really annoying. The fumes from the cotton when i was applying it stings and i got choke. 
This is a clarifying lotion, they do not call it toner as it clarify the skin by swiping away dead skin cells on the surface gently. The way to apply it is by swiping across your face with a cotton pad, with only one direction.
The packaging is not that good. The bottle is somehow normal, but the screw-off cap is giving lots of trouble when opening and closing it. The hole to dispense the toner is rather big and you spill the whole bottle of toner out if you drop it on the floor before closing the cap. 
However, the function is really good as it really swipe away my dead skin cells, and my face feel refresh after that. It dries up really fast and leaves a cool sensation on my skin.
The price for this products is quite okay, RM115 for 400ml which last me for almost a year, worth it rite..
This product comes in different formula, for different skin type:
-Clarifying lotion 1
-Clarifying lotion 2
-Clarifying lotion 3

Overall Rating : 6/10


Step 3: Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel


Information from Clinique:
Step 3
Moisturize and build a barrier against impurities.
World favourites Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion of oil-free Gel replenish, smooth, improve. Skin returns to optimal condition.

Size:
50ml, 125ml

Price :
RM87 for 50ml
RM150 for 125ml

My thoughts:
The effect is really great, as what it says, dramatically different moisturizing gel. The gel is yellowish in colour and the smell is quite pleasant, something really soft. My face feels smooth, hydrated and plump after applying it. It's rather rich gel, that moisturize my face very well and my face feels very comfortable after using it, day and night. The packaging is okay, comes with a lovely pump and only one pump is all you need for the whole face. However, it's hard for me to scrape the leftover in the bottles when it comes to very last drop as the tube/opening is quite small. It only fits one of my finger. It get absorb into my skin rather quick, maybe because i'm always in the air conditioned room. Pricing wise, it's quite pricey for student like me, but i think it worth a try as it really work wonders for my face. Besides it last for like almost half a year.
This moisturizer comes in two different formula, that is:
Gel type for Oily Skin
Lotion type for Drier Skin

Overall Rating : 9/10 

Let's talk about the whole set now.. If you ask me whether it's worth to buy it in a set or not, i will say no. The only thing that i like in this set is the moisturizer, and the worst one is the clarifying lotion, which makes me feels like applying alcohol on my face. Besides, i dont think i need to exfoliate my skin everyday with the clarifying lotion as other toner works great too, and i can use a facial scrub if want to do so.


~Valid from 1st to 14th July 2011~